skin allergy to tempurpedic

Initially my husband broke out in hives after the first few nights on our new mattress. After many courses of steroids & multiple washings of the mattress cover his rash cleared up. About two weeks later our Chihuahua began to have respiratory problems. She spent most of the day in our bedroom & slept with us at night. I began to itch first at my wrists and upper arms and now all over. I have been using creams & zyrtec to try to relieve the itching. Meanwhile, our Chihuahua got worse & was given 3 different steroids, one inhaled steroid & 2 different antibiotics. The vets could not figure out what was going on with her but none of the treatments worked. She could not get enough O2 & had to be put to sleep last Saturday. On a whim, I decided to Google TempurPedic & allergy & here I sit dumbfounded at the amount of data I have read with like experiences. I am not only constantly uncomfortable from the itching but I am heart broken from the loss of our dog. Yes, the mattress is extremely comfortable, but is it worth the side effects & losses? I wish I had been privy to this info concerning the risks prior to my purchase. :'(

I cannot believe what I'm reading - it must bethe mattress topper. I woke up with an awful rash all over my back and stomache this morning. And last ngiht was the first time I slept on my boyfriends bed with that new mattress. I woke up several times dehydrated and short of breathe, but hte reash was the worst. After googling it, I am almost certain that damn mattres is the cause for my rash. And yet it claime dto be "hyperallergenic". My ass.

My husband and I bought a Tempur-Pedic Classic a few weeks ago. Both of us have been waking up with headaches and sinus problems. I thought it was weird so I googled it. I am very surprise to read that we are not alone. No rash yet. I still have some backache, but definitely better then my old mattress. I am wondering if the headache will go away when the smell goes away. Maybe not??

I find this very interesting information. I guess I can surprisingly thankfully say I do not own a tempurpedic mattress. I have been considering some kind of memory foam mattress topper. But now, since I already have severe allergies and asthma I am not taking my chances. I am very intrigued by what you all are experiencing and would like to know what exactly it is that is causing such reactions. I agree with those of you stating that action should be taken against this, because imagine all the many people who may be experiencing symptoms and have not been able to put the connection together.

My question for you all is are you using the actual Tempurpedic brand bedding? Or have some of you experienced it from other brands as well?

I GOT A TEMPURPEDIC BED LAST THURSDAY. I SLEPT ON IT FOR TWO NIGHTS AND WOKE UP IN THE MORNING. STILL HAVING RASHES, BEEN TO THE ER TWICE AND ON PREDNISONE. IT IS STILL WORSE THAN EVERY AND THE BED HAS BEEN GONE FOR ALMOST A WEEK NOW. CAN ANYONE TELL ME IF THIS GOES AWAY EVENTUALLY??!!!





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For the last few weeks I have been feeling short of breath on and off throughout the day. I don't feel asthmatic, but I feel like when I breath I'm not getting enough oxygen- it is hard for me to describe. It happens at random times. I'm fine at the gym exercising, yet laying on the couch at home it happens. My husband has also been waking me almost every night saying that I'm snoring. I realized the only thing that has changed in the last few weeks is getting a new tempurpedic mattress and pillows. Could this be causing my strange breathing episodes? I'm hesitant to blame the mattress because it doesn't happen while I'm sleeping on it. I'd appreciate any insight- I was beginning to think it was mental.
Also, will the smell ever go away?

I have had Tempurpedic mattress for 3-4 years and had occasional rash and sinus problem. Nine months ago, out of the blue, I developed severe steroid dependent asthma at age 54 for the first time. Severe sinusutis which has become chronic in the last 2 months with pan-sinus surgery planned at Wake Forest Baptist Hospital in 2 days.. In the last month, I've developed severe urticaria (hives) on the dependent surfaces of my body that itch continually and these hives have enlarged into huge confluent areas on my back, the extensor surfaces of my arms, back, buttocks and all surfaces that touch the mattress. Within 25 minutes of lying down on my Tempurpedic, I get this burning itching that is just unbearable, on the surfaces of my skin that was in contact with the mattress. This evening, within 25 minutes of getting out of the bedroom, this itching resolved by almost 90% as I sit here and type this message. My wife has also just started getting some urticaria on the extensor surfaces of her forearms in the last week and she has been borrowing some of my Lidex cream.

I've undergone extensive allergy testing with skin prick, injection and recently RAST serum studies which show dustmite, grass pollen and mild cat dander. Since my atopic/allergic symptoms have not been seasonal, and because we don't have a cat in the house, the only allergen that could be implicated has been dustmite. In my household for the last 9 months, we have gone ballistic on dustmite allergy potential. Did you know that within 1 year of using a dustmite cover on your bed that you have the same amount of dust mite exreta on the surface of your dustmite impervious cover? It's in the allergy literature. In our house we HEPA vacuum the Tempurpedic mattress weekly to reduce this allergen concentration. We wash pillows bimonthly and use dustmite covers. We wash bedding several times per month. We have banished all my expensive Persian rugs from the hardwood floors. Nome of my doctors, including my allergist, ENT or pulmonologist believe this whole problem could be coming from dustmites at this jucture.

What is very worrying to me is that in the last 3 months I've had marked increase in my IgE (mediates allergy reactions) to levels of 4000 ( normal usually less than 70). My Eosinophil blood count ( white cells that mediates allergy related immunity such as sinus and asthma disease) is consistently elevated around 10% of my total WBC counts.. Other labwork is essentially negative and we can't yet diagnose diseases such as lupus, Churg Strauss etc. My skin biopsy at Wake Forrest simply yielded the diagnosis of urticaria. We have no family history of Hyper-IgE syndrome (Job's syndrome) and neither me or my parents/sibling fit the clinical pattern of this high IgE syndrome. I've burned through my $3000 deductible and now my health insurance is covering 100% which is the only celebratory moment for me in 2008.

I'm still considering the possibliity tha II could have some type of autoimmunity issue such as Churg Straus or some idiopathic allergic reaction that may never be diagnosable -- this is truly possible. But I think I 'm going to try not sleeping on the Tempurpedic. If this skin reaction clears, I'm going to talk to my allergist about trying to do a patch test with some of the foam I cut out of this mattress and see if I develope an allergic reaction to this foam. Skin patch testing is literally the litmus test that we will have to use to prove allergy reaction to this product. Patch testing is considered the gold standard in clinical immunology. ( I'll try cutting a big square or star for dramatic effect in the photos.... hmmm?)

If I can establish that this foam is immunogenic in me. Then perhaps there are other people who could be easily patch tested and perhaps they end up with unusual shaped rashes on their bodies.... and guess what? Now it's a syndrome and we publish it in an Allergy/ Immunology journal with photos of rashes shaped as squares, triagles, swastica for dramatic effect , etc.). Then........ maybe I could get my money back on this Tempurpedic mattress. Forget about legal class actions, we victims are just low hanging fruit for avaricious class action plaintiff attorneys.

David

o.O

I truly thank God that I found this site. About a year ago I purchased a Tempurpedic pillow. I started to develop rashes all over my face, neck, ears, and hair. The rash progressed and at one point covered my entire upper body. The rashes look like severe eczema with oozing. I have awakened lately with my entire face swollen, oozing, and eyes swollen shut. I have food allergies so I assumed it was related to those. I eliminated the foods but the rashes continued to get worse. I have been poked, prodded, plucked and been to every allergist, dematologist, and specialist in the area. They are baffled and cannot diagnose me. They tested me for Lupus, auto immune diseases, mold in my blood, and blood tumors. All test came back negative. My IGE (bodys allergic sensitivity indicator) is up to 1400. The normal range is suppose to be less than 200.
I have taken steroid creams and pills, zyrtec, benadryl, singulair, xyzal......you name it I took it but nothing helped. I did manage to gain 25lbs from using these lovely drugs. It actually got so bad for me that my doctor wanted to put me on happy pills because they thought I was stressed or that something psychological was causing it. I declined and thank God I now know that I am not crazy.

Like David (previous post) I am going to cut foam from the pillow and get tested. If it comes out positive then the war against Tempurpedic begins. I am just thankful I found this site before they delivered my new $2000 Tempurpedic bed. If the pillow has me reacting like this the bed probably would have killed me.

Best wishes to everyone and see you in court!!!! : )
Renee

My husband and I bought our mattress about 4 years ago. I am now curious to see if our health problems are related to this purchase. I have gotten rashes which are incredibly itchy. I thought it was our detergent and have changed brands several times. In this past year, my health has gone downward. I am normally a very healthy woman. I have been getting aching joints, shortness of breath, and generally just not feeling healthy. We eat organic food, exercise, and take good care of our bodies, so I thought it might just be age (54 and 51). Now I am beginning to wonder. My husband has an elbow that has had pain for almost a year and complains of shortness of breath. (but not when hiking etc)

I noticed that there are a lot of loose "balls" of "material" between the Tempura mattress cover and the mattress itself.

If anyone who has posted a message takes any additional steps to test this material, or takes further action, or gets some answers etc. please come back to this site and let the rest of us know of your findings. I also would like to hear from those of you who have posted a comment and removed the pillow/mattress from your home. Did your symtoms go away?

Please keep us all informed.

I've been sleeping on a tempurpedic mattress for the past 5 years. Over the last 3 years I've experienced extreme shoulder pain (this lasted about a year), then extreme elbow joint pain (which lasted another year) and now low back and hip pain which has been getting worse for the past year. I often have achy joints in the morning which get better after I work out.Wondered if it was just getting older (I'm 53) or if I had arthritis. I do yoga regularly, exercise daily, and eat mostly vegetarian and organic foods. I couldn't understand how when I was doing everything right, I still felt crummy a lot of the time.

The other night I was so miserable with throbbing pain in my hip that I went to sleep on my daughter's old innerspring mattress. I often toss and turn on the tempurpedic and thought there was something wrong with me that I couldn't get comfortable on this mattress. I slept like a baby on my daughter's old mattress and it felt much more comfortable to my back. I realized this mattress may have been the culprit for all my inexplicable joint problems over the past several years.

Today I ran into my neighbor who was the one who convinced me to get the tempurpedic mattress 5 years ago because she'd just gotten one and I was complaining of insomnia. I told her my story and she admitted that she's been seeing a rheumotologist to try to find out why she has so much swelling in her hands and joint pain. She says it's the worst in the morning and gets better after she works out. She'd begun to also suspect her tempurpedic mattress might be the problem because she's ruled everything else out.

Do I just throw this mattress away now and buy a new one? What a waste of money!

Thank goodness these comments have been available for us to read other people's experiences. It has certainly validated my own. My husband searched for a year to find the perfect mattress for me due to my have had fibromyalgia for the last 30 years since my teens. I have always been "strong" and consistent with yoga & pilates etc. until the last 6 weeks!! Well, no surprise every autoimmune part of me reacted so intensely that after having the bed for only six weeks I thought I was going to have to file for disability!! We are still within the time frame to return it less shipping & are going to try a natural latex bed.

Blessings & best of luck to all in any lawsuits!!

Does anyone know anything about the all natural latex beds? They have been around for awhile from what I understand.

Have any of you thought that you might have a latex allergy? or latex sensitivity? My sister has a latex allergy and CANNOT sleep on a tempurpedic bed. It is made of Latex. In severe cases this might lead to anaphylaxis, SCARY! Good luck, don't wear latex gloves either.

My tempura medic bed was delivered yesterday and I had a good sleep last night. However, I've developed red rashes all over my body and I just realized even on my eye lids!! I felt a bit dizzy this evening. Reading on the internet explains why.

What are the healthier alternative mattresses that still provide the support the memory foam bed provides?

I would really appreciate some insights!

I bought a memory foam mattress topper from Serta and began having an allergic reaction to it after 2 months of use. My hands got very red, dry and itchy and it would not go away. I also had twitches in my eye in the morning. My doctor was going to test me for MRSA because he could not understand what that rash was coming from. Thank God it finally clicked and I realized what it really was.

I'm guessing it began breaking down after using it and the vapors caused the allergy. There should be a warning or notice on any memory foam products.

I work in a medical environment and know without a doubt that I don't have a latex allergy.



Here is something else I know:



I have a bad back, am awaiting surgery, and bought a memory foam mattress pad and slept on it for about a month or two. It did help my back pain considerably. However, I had severe headaches, a rash, and cough. The flu-like symptoms started first. I went to the doctor and was prescribed 3 different sets of antibiotics. One right after the other, but they didn't work. The headaches were severe and becoming a daily occurrence. I visited family over the holidays during this period and the symptoms would always ease up when we stayed elsewhere. I was almost convinces it was detergent, perfume, etc. The last straw was the rash. I was itching all over my back and right side of my body (I usually sleep on either of the two) and was practically in tears. My entire back was covered with hives and red bumps. I had my husband come up and help me put lotion all over so I could calm the itching. I googled all of my symptoms and was shocked to find them coming up on websites about memory foam mattresses that were supposedly "hypoallergenic". I took the mattress pad off, vacuumed my mattress and the floor around it, put new sheets on the bed and put my pillows in the dryer for a few minutes. This was last night. My back hurts again, but no more cough, no more headache, and the rash is almost gone. I called the department store where I bought it ($400) and they are willing to let me bring it back, but only because I used my department credit card with them to purchase it. I would caution anyone in the market for a bed to NOT go with a memory foam mattress. If just the mattress topper did this I shudder to think what the full mattress would do.